The Washington critic., 1887-12-19
THE RAILROAD CONDUCTORS.
Why They Desire Congress to Establish q
License Board.

THE ltAIIIkOAD CONDUCTORS.
Why They Desire Congress to Establish o
License Board.
Eyes, am here looking after the in
terests of the Railway Conductors Lii
cense BILL" said Mr.. Calvin S. Wheaton
to CRITIc reporter, who met him at tho
Ebbitt last evening. Mr.. Wheaton is
the grand chief conductor of the Order
of Railway Conductors, thoroughly
practical railway man, and hard
worker for the good of his order. "At
our annual convention in New Orleans
last May" he said, settling himself COM
fortably back into chair, 'two hum
dred and ten out of the two hundred and
twelve delegates present, representing
$4,000 conductors, voted to take some
definite measures towards securing ma
tional legislation upon the question of
requiring all railway conductors to have
a license, such as is issued to steamboat
pilots
"a bill was drawn up, tho one intro
duced by Senator Butler in the Senate
faw days ago, which will meet tho
wishes Of the conductors, and its pas
sage and enforcement will be of incal-
culablc benefit to the travelling public
and the railroad companies. The bill
provides for board Of examiners under
the supervision of the Treasury Depart
mcnt, which will examine all conduct
ors and If they are found capable in ex-
periencc and mental ability and of good
character and possessing those qualities
of mind and Judgment which man
should have who has the lives of SO
many people in his hands. to issue them
n license attesting their ability and
recommending them TO the railroad COM
panics as being worthy of Il position of
such trust and responsibility.
THE OBJECTS IN VIEW.
"What are the direct benefits which
they expect to derive from this?i
First, to improve the service. You
see, our order embraces only about one
half the railway conductors in the coun-
try. Well, there is not Il doubt but
there are numbers of conductors run
ming trains to-day who are totally unfit
for the position, and the examination
they would be compelled to pass to OBJ
tain license would show them up and
Gull the service of all unworthy and in
capable men. II is most astonishing to
me that the Government has not taken
this matter in hand long ago. Steam
boat captains and pilots arc required 10
be men of q certain amount of ability
and proficiency in their business, but u
railway conductor, who has care of 800
, lives where the pilot has one. may be an
ignorant man, without Judgment or
character, if the railroad company, for
the sake of economy, chooses to employ
! such one. Here is your Interstate
,, Commerce Commission, through which
, the Government looks out for youl
pocket to see that you are not over.
charged by the railroad. But the Gov.
ernment never makes any requirement
from the company TO protect your life
and person."
HOW TIE RAILROADS FEEL ABOUT IT.
, GLOW do the railroad arrangements
feel about licensing conductors?
"Well, while there has been no de-
cided opposition to the measure, have
heard it said by them, oh, this is just
n scheme of the conductors TO solidify
their union, and W. we are required
TO employ only licensed men they will
, want higher wages and We will have tc
: fight strikes Now, in this they are
wrong. The conductors are opposed to
strikes. A clause in the bill we hope to
pass provides that any man refusing to
work for II company without showing
good cause to the Board of Examiners
in writing for his action, shall have his
license revoked. AS TO the matter of sal
) ary, if at any future time the men
should get better wages. the gain to the
: companies in the service rendered would
4 be in greater ratio No, think that on
: the whole, the railroads will favor the
9 bill. Anyhow, ] have heard nothing to
= the effect that they will fight it,"
i The measure in question has been agi
+ tated by the conductors for five years
5 Mr.. Wheaton is making strenuou,
1 efforts to get it through Congress. He
has been associated with tine Order o.
, Railway Conductors for number oi
. years and has been five times reelected
: the supreme officer Of the order. He il
!, a representative man of his class, and
: knows every branch Of railroading. II
E personal appearance he is tall and well
I, made, with an intellectual cast of coun
! tonance, q shrewd manager, n deer
; thinker and a fluent talker. He is wei
, fitted for his important position.